Chapter one

Anne Arrives in Avonlea

One fine spring afternoon in Avonlea, Mrs.

Rachel Lynde sat by her kitchen window. She often
sat there because she could see the Avonlea road
very well from there.

A man with a horse and buggy came up the

road. It was Mrs. Lynde's neighbor, Matthew
Cuthbert.

"Where's Matthew going?" thought Mrs. Lynde

in surprise. "It's half past three in the afternoon and
he has a lot of work on his farm. Where's he going
and why is he going there?"

Matthew Cuthbert lived with his sister, Marilla,

in Green Gables, a large old house near Mrs.
Lynde's home. Later, Mrs. Lynde walked to Green
Gables.

1
 Marilla Cuthbert was busy in the kitchen. She
was a tall, thin woman with gray hair. Marilla wasn't
young or pretty, and she didn't smile very much. But
she had a kind heart. She wasn't surprised by Mrs.
Lynde's visit.

"Hello, Marilla," said Mrs. Lynde. "I saw

Matthew on the road. Where's he going?"

"To Bright River Station," answered Marilla.

"We're getting a little boy from an orphanage in
Nova Scotia. He's coming on the train this
afternoon."

Mrs. Lynde couldn't speak. Then she said, "An

orphan boy! Why do you want an orphan boy?"

"Matthew is sixty years old," answered Marilla.

"His heart isn't very strong. He wants a boy to help
him on the farm.

"We heard about Mrs. Spencer at White

Sands. She's getting a little girl from the orphanage.
Matthew and I want a little boy. Mrs. Spencer went
to the orphanage today. She's bringing a boy back
2
on the train and she's going to leave him at the
station. Matthew will meet him there."

"I think you're doing a very stupid thing,

Marilla," said Mrs. Lynde. "You're bringing a strange
boy into your house. You don't know anything about
him.

"I read a story in the newspaper about an

orphan. This child lived with a Canadian family. The
child lit a fire one night and the family died in the
fire. But it was a girl, not a boy."

"But we're not getting a girl," said Marilla. "We

don't want a girl. We're getting a boy."

***

Bright River Station was about twelve

kilometers from Avonlea. Matthew drove there
slowly in the buggy. When he arrived at Bright
River, it was late. He couldn't see a train.

3
 There was only one person at the station, a
little girl about eleven years old. She was very thin
with large gray eyes and long red hair. She wore a
short, ugly dress and carried an old bag.

When she saw Matthew, she smiled. Then she

put out her hand. "Are you Mr. Matthew Cuthbert of
Green Gables?" she asked. "I'm from the
orphanage. Mrs. Spencer brought me here."

Matthew took the child's hand. "There's a

mistake," he thought. "This is a girl, not a boy!"

"When you weren't here at the station," said

the child, "I thought, 'I can sleep in that big tree
tonight. I know he'll come in the morning.' I know it's
a long way to your house. Mrs. Spencer told me.
But I love driving. And I'm going to have a home
with you. That's wonderful. I never had a home."

"I was late," said Matthew slowly. "I'm sorry."

He took the little girl's bag and they walked to the
buggy. "I can't leave this child at the station," he
thought. "I'll take her back to Green Gables. Marilla
can tell her about the mistake."

4
 The girl got into the buggy and Matthew drove
home. The child talked and talked. Matthew
listened. He was a quiet man and he was usually
afraid of little girls. But he liked listening to this girl's
conversation.

"Look at those trees with the beautiful white

flowers," said the girl. "I love the color white. I'd like
a beautiful white dress. I never had a pretty dress.
They only gave us ugly clothes at the orphanage. I
know I'm going to be very happy with you. But one
thing makes me sad. Look at my hair. What color is
it?"

"Isn't it red?" asked Matthew.

"Yes," said the little girl sadly. "It's red. I hate

my red hair."

It was evening when they arrived at Green

Gables. Marilla came to the door and looked at the
child in surprise.

"Who's this, Matthew?" she asked. "Where's

the boy?"
5
 "There wasn't a boy," said Matthew unhappily.
"There was only her. I couldn't leave her at the
station."

"No boy!" said Marilla. "But we asked Mrs.

Spencer for a boy!"

"You don't want me!" cried the child suddenly.

"You don't want me because I'm not a boy! Oh, what
shall I do?"

"Don't cry," said Marilla. "We can't send you

back to the orphanage tonight. You'll have to stay
here. What's your name?"

The child stopped crying. "Can you call me

Cordelia?" she asked.

"Cordelia! Is that your name?" asked Marilla in

surprise.

"No," said the child sadly. "But Cordelia is a

prettier name than mine. My name is Anne Shirley.
Anne with an 'e'. But please call me Cordelia."
6
 "No," said Marilla, but she smiled. "Anne is a
very good name. Now come and eat something,
Anne."

Anne sat down at the table but she couldn't

eat anything. So Marilla took her upstairs to a small
bedroom. Anne took off her clothes and got sadly
into bed.

Marilla went downstairs and washed the

plates. Matthew sat in a chair. He didn't say very
much.

"I'll drive to Mrs. Spencer's house tomorrow,"

said Marilla, "and I'll ask her about this mistake.
We'll have to send this child back."

"She's a very nice little girl," said Matthew

slowly, "and very interesting. She likes to talk. And
she wants to stay with us."

Marilla was very surprised. "But, Matthew, she

can't stay here," she said. "A girl can't help you on
the farm."

7
 "But maybe we can help her," answered
Matthew quietly.

"I'm going to send her back to the orphanage,"

said Marilla. "I don't want an orphan girl."

"All right, Marilla," said Matthew. "I'm going to

bed now."

Marilla put the plates away and went to bed,

too. And in the room upstairs, the little orphan girl
cried and cried.

Chapter two

A Sad Story

When Anne woke up the next morning, she

felt happy. She jumped out of bed and ran to the
window.

8
 It was a beautiful morning. The sun shone and
the sky was blue. Anne opened the window.
Outside, there was a fruit tree with beautiful flowers.
Anne could see many other trees and flowers, and a
small river too.

"This is a wonderful place!" she thought. Then,

suddenly, she remembered. She felt very sad again.
"But I can't stay here," she thought. "They don't
want me because I'm not a boy."

Marilla came into the room. "Good morning,

Anne," she said. "Breakfast is waiting. Wash your
face and put on your clothes."

"I'm feeling very hungry," Anne said. "I can

never be sad in the mornings. I love mornings."

After breakfast, Anne washed the plates and

cups. Marilla watched carefully, but Anne did the job
well.

"This afternoon I'm going to drive to White

Sands," Marilla said. "You'll come with me, Anne,
and we'll talk to Mrs. Spencer."
9
 Matthew didn't say anything, but he looked
very sad. Later, he got the horse and buggy ready
for Marilla. Marilla drove, and Anne sat next to her.

"Is it a long way to White Sands?" asked

Anne.

"About eight kilometers," answered Marilla. "I

know you like to talk, Anne. So tell me your story."

"It isn't very interesting," said Anne. "I was

born in Bolingbroke in Nova Scotia, and I was
eleven last March. My parents were teachers. But
they died when I was a baby. So their cleaner, Mrs.
Thomas, and her husband took me into their house.

"Mrs. Thomas had four children. I helped her

with them. But then Mr. Thomas died in an accident.
Mrs. Thomas and the children went to Mr. Thomas's
parents. They didn't want me.

"Then Mrs. Hammond, Mrs. Thomas's friend,

took me into her house. She had eight children.
They were very hard work. Then Mrs. Hammond

10
moved away. I had to go to the orphanage because
nobody wanted me. I was there for four months."

"Did you go to school?" asked Marilla.

"No, not often," answered Anne. "I didn't have

time. I was always busy with the children. But I like
reading very much."

"Were these women-Mrs. Thomas and Mrs.

Hammond - kind to you?" asked Marilla.

"They wanted to be kind," Anne said slowly.

"But they were always very tired. They couldn't
really be kind to me."

Marilla suddenly felt very sorry for Anne. The

little girl's life was very sad. Nobody wanted her or
loved her.

When Mrs. Spencer saw Marilla and Anne,

she was very surprised. Marilla told her about the
problem.

11
 "I'm very sorry," answered Mrs. Spencer. "I
made a mistake. But I have an idea. My neighbor,
Mrs. Blewett, has a new baby. She wants a girl to
help her. Anne can go and live with her."

"Oh," said Marilla. She knew about Mrs.

Blewett. Mrs. Blewett had a lot of children, but she
wasn't very kind to them.

"Look!" said Mrs. Spencer. "Here's Mrs.

Blewett now."

Mrs. Blewett had small, cold eyes.

"This is Marilla Cuthbert from Green Gables,"

Mrs. Spencer told her. "And this little girl is from the
orphanage. I brought her for Marilla but Marilla
wants a boy. Would you like her?"

Mrs. Blewett looked at Anne for a long time.

She didn't smile. "She's very thin," she said. "I hope
she's strong. She'll have to work hard. Yes, Mrs.
Spencer, I'll take this girl. She can come home with
me now."

12
 Marilla looked at Anne's unhappy face. "I can't
give Anne to Mrs. Blewett," she thought. "Wait," she
said. "First I have to discuss things with my brother,
Matthew. He wants Anne to stay with us."

Anne looked at Marilla in surprise. Then she

jumped up and ran across the room. "Can I really
stay with you at Green Gables?" she asked. "Did
you really say that?"

"I don't know," said Marilla. "Now sit down and

be quiet."

When Marilla and Anne arrived at Green

Gables, Matthew met them. He was very happy
when he saw Anne. Later, Marilla told him about
Mrs. Blewett. She told him Anne's story, too.
Matthew wasn't usually angry, but he was very
angry about Mrs. Blewett.

"That Blewett woman is very unkind," he said.

"I know," said Marilla. "I don't like her. All right,
Matthew, Anne can stay here with us. But I don't

13
know very much about children. I hope I don't make
any mistakes with her."

"Thank you, Marilla," said Matthew happily.

"Anne's a very interesting little girl. Be good to her.
Then she'll always love you."

Chapter three

Red Hair

Next day, Marilla didn't tell Anne about her

conversation with Matthew. She gave Anne a lot of
work in the kitchen.

"Marilla," said Anne excitedly, "I have to know

about my future. Please tell me. Are you going to
send me away?"

14
 "No," said Marilla. "You can stay at Green
Gables with Matthew and me. But you have to be
good."

Anne started to cry.

"Why are you crying?" asked Marilla in

surprise. "Don't you want to stay with us? Don't you
like Green Gables?"

"Oh, yes, Marilla!" cried Anne. "I like it very

much. I'm crying because I'm very happy. And I'll
always be good."

***

Some days later, Mrs. Lynde came to tea with

Marilla. When she arrived, Anne was outside.
Marilla and Mrs. Lynde sat in the kitchen and talked.

"I think you're making a mistake," said Mrs.

Lynde. "You don't know anything about children."

15
 "No, but I can learn," said Marilla.

Anne ran into the kitchen. She saw Mrs.

Lynde and stopped.

"The Cuthberts didn't take you for your pretty

face!" Mrs. Lynde said. "She's very thin, Marilla. And
her hair is as red as carrots! Come here, child. I
want to see you."

Anne ran across the kitchen and stood in front

of Mrs. Lynde. Her face was red and angry. "I hate
you!" she cried. "I hate you- I hate you!"

"Anne!" cried Marilla.

"You're a very rude woman," Anne told Mrs.

Lynde. "And you're fat!"

"Anne, go to your room!" said Marilla. "Wait for

me there!"

Anne started to cry. Then she ran upstairs.

16
 Mrs. Lynde got up from her chair. "I'm going
home now, Marilla," she said. "That child is very
wild. You'll have a lot of problems with her!"

"But you said unkind things about her!" said

Marilla.

After Mrs. Lynde went home, Marilla went

upstairs. "Why did Anne say those things?" she
thought unhappily. "Now Mrs. Lynde will tell
everybody in Avonlea about her."

"Stop crying and listen to me, Anne," she said.

"You were very rude to Mrs. Lynde. She was a
visitor in my home."

"But she was very unkind," said Anne.

"I want you to say sorry to Mrs. Lynde," said

Marilla.

"Never!" said Anne. "I'm not sorry."

17
 Marilla remembered something. When she
was a child, her aunts often talked about her.
"Marilla isn't a very pretty little girl," they said.

"Maybe Mrs. Lynde was unkind," said Marilla

quietly. "But you have to say sorry. Stay here in your
room!"

Next morning, Anne didn't come down to

breakfast. Marilla told Matthew the story. "She was
very rude," she said.

"But, Marilla," said Matthew. "Mrs. Lynde

doesn't think before she speaks. Please don't be
angry with Anne."

Anne stayed in her room all day. Marilla took

food upstairs, but Anne didn't eat very much. In the
evening, Matthew went quietly up to Anne's room.

Anne was on a chair by the window. She

looked very small and unhappy. Matthew felt very
sorry for her. He closed the door. "Please go and
say sorry to Mrs. Lynde, Anne," he said.

18
 "All right, Matthew," said Anne. "I wasn't sorry
yesterday, but I'm sorry now. I'll do it because you
asked me."

"Good," said Matthew happily. "It's very quiet

downstairs without you, Anne." He went quietly out
of the room.

Later, Marilla and Anne walked to Mrs.

Lynde's house.

"I'm very, very sorry, Mrs. Lynde," said Anne.

"I was very rude to you. You were right about my
red hair. And I am thin and ugly."

Mrs. Lynde smiled. "I was rude to you, too,"

she said. "You do have red hair. But maybe it will
change color when you're older."

"That's very kind of you, Mrs. Lynde!" said

Anne. "Now I can hope for prettier hair. Please can I
go outside and play?"

19
 "Yes, of course," said Mrs. Lynde. "Find some
flowers."

Anne went out and closed the door behind

her.

"Anne is really sorry," thought Marilla. "But

she's funny, too."

"She's a strange little girl," said Mrs. Lynde to

Marilla. "But she isn't a bad child. I like her."

On the way home, Anne suddenly put her

small hand into Manila's hand. "I love Green
Gables, Marilla," she said. "It's my home now."

20
 Chapter four

The Party

Anne had only one ugly dress from the

orphanage. So Marilla made her three new dresses.
She bought a little hat for Anne, too. But Anne didn't
like the new clothes.

"Why don't you like them, Anne?" asked

Marilla.

"They're-they're not-pretty," answered Anne.

"But they're very good dresses," said Marilla.

Marilla went to church every Sunday. She

wanted to take Anne with her. But the next Sunday,
Marilla was sick.

"Can you go to church without me?" she

asked Anne.

21
 "Yes, of course, Marilla," answered Anne.

She put on one of her new dresses and her

hat, and started walking down the road to church. "I
don't like this hat," she thought. "It isn't very pretty."

Then she had an idea. There were a lot of

beautiful yellow flowers by the road. Anne put some
flowers on her hat.

When she arrived at church, the other children

looked at her. "That girl's crazy!" they said.

After church, Anne ran back to Green Gables.

"Did you enjoy it, Anne?" asked Marilla.

"Not very much," said Anne. "The minister

talked for a long time, but he wasn't very interesting.
But there's going to be a party next week for the
children of Avonlea. That's exciting. Please, Marilla,
can I go too?"

22
 "Yes, of course," answered Marilla.

"Oh, thank you, Marilla!" said Anne. She put

her arms around Marilla.

Marilla felt happy. "I'm starting to love this

child," she thought.

***

Marilla had a beautiful old brooch. The day

before the party, she couldn't find it. "It was on top
of the desk in my room," she thought. "But now it
isn't there. Where is it?"

"Did you take my brooch out of my room?" she

asked Anne.

"No, Marilla," said Anne. "I went into your

room last week. I saw the brooch on top of the desk
and put it on my dress. But then I put it back on the
desk. I didn't take it out of your room."

23
 Marilla looked for the brooch again, but she
couldn't find it.

"Anne," she said, "I'll ask you again. Did you

take the brooch from my room and lose it?"

"No, I didn't, Marilla," said Anne quietly.

"Go to your room and stay there," said Marilla.

Anne went to her room. Later, Marilla went to

see her.

"Marilla, the party is tomorrow," Anne said.

"Please can I go?"

"No," said Marilla angrily. "Tell me about the

brooch first."

"But I told you about the brooch, Marilla!" cried

Anne.

24
 Next morning, Marilla took Anne's breakfast
upstairs. Anne sat on her bed. Her face was white
and her big gray eyes shone.

"I'll tell you about the brooch now," she said

quietly. "I took it and I put it on my dress. Then I
went outside and walked down the road to the
bridge. I wanted to look at the brooch again, so I
took it off my dress. It shone in the sun and was
very beautiful. But then it fell from my hand-down,
down to the bottom of the river."

"You're a very bad girl, Anne," Marilla said

angrily.

"I'm sorry," said Anne. "Please can I go to the

party now?"

"The party!" cried Marilla. "Of course you can't

go!"

"But, Marilla," said Anne, "you wanted to know

about the brooch. So I told you. Now please can I
go to the party?"

25
 "No," said Marilla, and went out.

Anne fell on her bed and began to cry.

Marilla went downstairs with a very sad heart.

"Maybe Mrs. Lynde was right about Anne," she
thought.

After lunch, Marilla wanted to go for a walk.

She took her coat from the closet. Then she saw
something on her coat. It was her beautiful brooch.

"What's this?" thought Marilla in surprise. "Oh,

I remember now. I put the brooch on this coat."

She went to Anne's room. "Anne, why did you

tell me that story this morning?" she said. "The
brooch is here on my coat."

"I wanted to go to the party," said Anne sadly.

"You wanted me to tell you about the brooch. So I
had to think of a story."

26
 Marilla began to laugh. "I'm sorry, Anne," she
said. "I made a mistake. Now get ready for the
party."

"Oh, Marilla!" cried Anne. "Isn't it too late?"

"No," answered Marilla. "It's only two o'clock.

Wash your face and put on one of your new
dresses. I'll give you some food for the party."

When Anne came home that evening, she

was very happy. "Oh, Marilla, the party was
wonderful!" she said.

Chapter five

Love and Hate

"Marilla," said Anne one day, "do any other

little girls live near Green Gables? I'd like to have a
best friend."
27
 "Yes," answered Marilla. "Diana Barry is the
same age as you. She lives at Orchard Slope,
across the river. I'm going to visit her mother this
afternoon. You can come with me."

Mrs. Barry was a tall, thin woman. Diana was

a very pretty little girl with black hair and dark eyes.
She had a little sister, Minnie May. Minnie May was
three years old.

"Diana, take Anne outside," said Mrs. Barry.

Anne and Diana went outside and stood

quietly by the flowers. Then they started to talk.
They talked all afternoon.

"Did you like Diana, Anne?" asked Marilla

later.

"Oh, yes," said Anne happily. "Diana is

wonderful!"

28
 Anne and Diana met every day. Sometimes
they played in the woods. Sometimes they read
books and told stories.

***

Then summer ended and September came.

Anne went to school in Avonlea. She was good at
her lessons and she liked the other girls. But Anne
didn't like the teacher, Mr. Phillips, very much.

One day, there was a new boy in school. He

was tall, with brown hair. The girls liked him.

"That's Gilbert Blythe," Diana said to Anne.

"His family went away for the summer. They came
back on Saturday."

Gilbert's desk was near Anne's desk. He often

looked at her. He wanted her to look at him, too.
She was different from the other girls in Avonlea.
But Anne wasn't interested in Gilbert.

29
 Gilbert took Anne's hair in his hand. "Carrots!"
he said loudly. "Carrots!"

Anne jumped to her feet and looked at Gilbert

angrily. "I hate you!" she cried. "I hate you!" She hit
Gilbert on the head with her slate and the slate
broke. Everybody looked at her.

Mr. Phillips ran to her. "Anne Shirley, what are

you doing?" he asked. "Answer me!"

"Anne didn't do anything wrong," said Gilbert

quickly. "I was rude about her hair."

"Anne, go and stand in front of the class," said

Mr. Phillips.

Anne stood in front of the class all afternoon.

Everybody looked at her. But Anne didn't look at
anybody. "I'll never speak to Gilbert Blythe again,"
she thought.

After school Gilbert tried to talk to Anne, but

she walked past him.
30
 "Don't be angry with Gilbert, Anne," said
Diana. "He laughs at my hair because it's very
black."

"Gilbert Blythe was very unkind," said Anne.

The children often played outside after lunch.

Sometimes they were late for afternoon school. The
next day, Mr. Phillips was in the classroom when
Anne arrived with flowers in her hair.

"Anne Shirley, you're late," Mr. Phillips said.

"Take those flowers out of your hair. Then go and sit
with Gilbert Blythe."

"I can't sit next to Gilbert," Anne thought. "I

hate him!"

She got up slowly from her desk and sat down

next to Gilbert. But she didn't look at him. She put
her head on her arms. A little later, Gilbert pushed
some candy under Anne's arm. Anne took the candy
and threw it onto the floor.
31
 At the end of the day, Anne took her slate and
her books.

"What are you doing, Anne?" asked Diana in

surprise.

"I'm taking my things home," said Anne. "I'm

going to study there. I'm not coming back to school
again."

Later, Anne told Marilla about Mr. Phillips. "I'll

learn my lessons at home," she said. "I'll work hard
and I'll be a good girl. But I'm not going back to Mr.
Phillips."

Marilla went to see Mrs. Lynde. "What shall I

do?" she asked.

"Leave Anne at home," said Mrs. Lynde.

"She'll get bored. Then she'll want to go back to
school."

32
 Anne learned her lessons at home. In the
evenings she played with Diana. She loved Diana,
but she hated Gilbert Blythe.

Chapter six

Diana Comes to Tea

"Anne, I'm going out this afternoon," said

Marilla one Saturday.

"You can invite Diana here for tea. There's

cake-and a bottle of fruit cordial on a shelf in the
kitchen closet."

When Diana arrived, the two little girls played

outside.

"I'm very thirsty," said Diana after a time.

33
 "Would you like some fruit cordial?" asked
Anne.

She went to the kitchen closet and got the

bottle. The cordial was a dark red color. Anne wasn't
thirsty, but Diana drank a big glass of it.

"This is very nice," she said. "Can I have

another glass?"

After three glasses of cordial, Diana put her

hands to her head.

"I'm not feeling very well," she said. "I have to

go home."

"But, Diana!" cried Anne sadly. "Don't you

want any cake?"

"No," said Diana. "I have to go home now."

The next day, Sunday, it rained all day and

Anne stayed at home. On Monday, Marilla sent
34
Anne to Mrs. Lynde's house. But Anne came back
very quickly, and ran into the kitchen.

"Anne, what's wrong?" asked Marilla. "Why

are you crying?"

"Mrs. Barry was at Mrs. Lynde's house today,"

said Anne. "She said very bad things about me.
When Diana left here on Saturday, she was drunk!"

"Drunk!" cried Marilla in surprise. "What did

you give her?"

"Only the fruit cordial," answered Anne

unhappily.

Marilla went to the kitchen closet and found

the bottle of cordial. She looked at it. It wasn't fruit
cordial. It was red wine!

"Oh, no!" she thought. "I remember now. The

fruit cordial is in the other closet."

35
 Marilla went to see Mrs. Barry. She tried to tell
Mrs. Barry about the mistake, but Mrs. Barry didn't
want to listen.

"That Anne Shirley is a very bad little girl," she

said. "I don't want Diana to play with her again."

Anne was very sad. She loved Diana very

much. Some days later, she went back to school. "I
can't be Diana's friend now," Anne told Marilla. "But
I can look at her in school."

Anne worked hard. The other girls liked her,

and she had a lot of friends. But she was very
unhappy about Diana.

***

One evening some weeks later, Marilla went

to a meeting in Charlottetown, the most important
town on Prince Edward Island. Mrs. Lynde and
Diana's parents went to the meeting, too. They all
slept in Charlottetown that night.

36
 Anne and Matthew stayed at home. They sat
in the kitchen. Anne studied her lessons at the table.
Suddenly, Diana ran through the door. Her face was
very white.

"Oh, Anne, please come quickly!" she said.

"Minnie May is very sick. She has croup. Maybe
she's going to die."

Matthew got up quietly and put on his coat. "I'll

go for the doctor," he said, and went out.

"Don't be afraid, Diana," said Anne. "I know

about croup. Mrs. Hammond had eight children and
they all had it. Wait! Marilla has some medicine. I'll
bring it with me."

Anne went with Diana to the Barry's house.

The ground was white with snow. When they arrived
at the house, Anne went to Minnie May. She was
very sick.

"Now, Diana, bring me hot water," said Anne.

37
 She undressed Minnie May and put her to
bed. Then she gave her some medicine. All night
Minnie May was very sick, but in the early morning
she slept quietly.

Matthew arrived with the doctor. "I'm sorry

we're late," he said. "The doctor wasn't at home. I
had to wait for a long time."

The doctor looked at Minnie May. "You did

very well, Anne," he said.

Anne drove home with Matthew in the snow.

When they arrived at Green Gables, Anne went to
bed.

That afternoon, Marilla was downstairs in the

kitchen.

"How was the meeting, Marilla?" asked Anne.

"Fine," answered Marilla. "Listen, Anne, Mrs.

Barry was here this morning and told me about
Minnie May's croup. She wanted to say 'thank you'
38
to you. And she's very sorry about the fruit cordial.
She wants you and Diana to be friends again."

"Oh, Marilla, that's wonderful!" cried Anne.

"Can I go and see Diana now?"

"Yes," said Marilla, and smiled.

Anne ran quickly to Diana's house. It was cold,

and she had no coat or hat. But she was the
happiest girl in Avonlea.

Chapter seven

A Cake for Mrs. Allan

The long summer vacation began at the end

of June. Mr. Phillips left the Avonlea school. The old
minister left the church, too, and a new minister
came. His name was Mr. Allan. He brought his
pretty young wife with him.
39
 "I'll ask Mr. and Mrs. Allan to tea on
Wednesday," said Marilla. "Oh, Marilla," said Anne
excitedly. "Can I make a cake?"

"All right, Anne," said Marilla.

On Wednesday morning, Anne got up early

and made her cake. It looked very good. In the
afternoon, Anne put flowers around the table. Then
Mr. and Mrs. Allan arrived.

"The table looks beautiful," they said.

Anne felt very happy. She sat at the table with

Matthew and Marilla. Matthew wore his best clothes.

"Would you like some cake, Mrs. Allan?"

asked Anne. "I made it for you."

"Yes, please," said Mrs. Allan, and she smiled.

40
 Anne cut some cake for Mrs. Allan. Mrs. Allan
put the cake in her mouth and started to eat it. But
she didn't look very happy.

"Is something wrong?" thought Marilla. She

tried some cake, too. "Anne Shirley!" she cried.
"What did you put in this?"

"Only-only vanilla," answered Anne. She went

to the kitchen and brought back a small bottle. On
the front of the bottle, it said "Best Vanilla."

Marilla opened the bottle. "This isn't vanilla,"

she said. "It's medicine. Last week I broke the
medicine bottle. I put the medicine into this old
vanilla bottle."

"Medicine!" said Anne. "Oh!"

She ran upstairs to her room. She cried and

cried.

A little later, Anne heard somebody on the

stairs, but she didn't look up. "Oh, Marilla," she said,
41
"I'm very unhappy. Everybody in Avonlea will hear
about my cake. They'll laugh at me. I can't go
downstairs. I can't look at Mrs. Allan again. I'm very
sorry, Marilla. Please tell Mrs. Allan."

"You tell her, Anne," said Mrs. Allan.

Anne looked up. "Mrs. Allan!" she said in

surprise.

"Yes, it's me," said Mrs. Allan, and laughed.

"Don't cry, Anne. The medicine in the cake was a
very funny mistake."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Allan," said Anne. "I wanted to

make a nice cake for you."

"I know," said Mrs. Allan. "Now please come

down and show me your flowers. I'm very interested
in flowers."

Anne felt happy again. She went downstairs

with Mrs. Allan and nobody said anything about the
cake.
42
 ***

A week later, Anne ran into the kitchen at

Green Gables. She was very excited. She had a
letter in her hand.

"Mrs. Allan is inviting me to tea tomorrow

afternoon," she said. "Look at this letter, Marilla. It
says, 'Miss Anne Shirley, Green Gables.' Nobody
called me 'Miss' before."

The next afternoon, Anne went to tea with

Mrs. Allan.

"I had a wonderful time with Mrs. Allan," she

told Marilla later. "She's very kind. And she wore a
beautiful dress. We talked for a long time. I told her
about Mrs. Thomas and Mrs. Hammond, and the
orphanage. I told her about Green Gables and the
school, too."

"Mrs. Allan told me something interesting. A

new teacher is coming to Avonlea after the vacation.
43
Her name is Miss Muriel Stacy. Isn't that a pretty
name? I want to meet her very much."

Chapter eight

An Accident and a New Dress

Some weeks later, Diana had a party. She

invited Anne and the other girls in her class. They
had a very good time.

After tea, the girls played outside. "Let's play a

new game," said one of the girls. "Let's do exciting
things. Who can climb the big tree by Diana's front
door?"

One of the girls climbed the tree. Then another

girl thought of something more exciting. "Who can
climb up to the top of Diana's house?" she said.

"I can!" cried Anne. She ran to the house.

44
 "Stop, Anne!" called Diana. "That's very
dangerous!"

Anne started to climb to the top of the house,

but it was very difficult. Suddenly, she fell to the
ground.

Diana ran to her. "Oh, Anne, Anne, are you

dead?" she said.

Anne opened her eyes. Her face was very

white. "No, I'm not dead, Diana," she said. "But my
leg hurts. I can't walk."

Mr. Barry carried Anne home to Green

Gables. When Marilla saw Mr. Barry with Anne in
his arms, she felt very afraid. Was Anne dead?

"I love Anne very much," she thought. "I know

that now." She ran to Mr. Barry. "What happened?"
she asked.

45
 "Don't be afraid, Marilla," said Anne. "I fell off
Diana's house."

Anne couldn't go back to school. She stayed

home for seven weeks. Her friends came to see her
every day. They brought her flowers and books. She
had many other visitors, too. Mrs. Allan and Mrs.
Lynde came often.

***

When Anne's leg was better, she went back to

school. She liked Miss Stacy very much. Miss Stacy
was a very good young teacher, and Anne worked
hard in her lessons.

"I love Miss Stacy," Anne said to Marilla and

Matthew one evening. "She wants us to give a
concert at Christmas. Isn't that exciting? Diana's
going to sing a song. And I'm going to say two
poems."

One evening, Matthew went into the kitchen at

Green Gables. Anne's friends were there. They

46
laughed and talked about the concert. They were
very excited.

Matthew watched them. "Anne looks different

from the other girls. But why?" he thought. He
thought all evening, then suddenly he knew the
answer. "Anne's clothes are different," he thought.
"The other girls wear pretty dresses. Marilla makes
good dresses for Anne, but they aren't very pretty."

Then Matthew had an idea. "I'm going to give

Anne a new dress for Christmas," he thought.

He went to the store in town and tried to buy a

dress. But he couldn't because he didn't know much
about girls' dresses.

"Maybe somebody can make a pretty dress for

Anne," he thought. "But who? I don't know many
women in Avonlea. I can't ask Marilla. I know-I'll
have to ask Mrs. Lynde."

He went to see Mrs. Lynde.

47
 "Of course I'll help you, Matthew," said Mrs.
Lynde. "And I won't tell Marilla. It'll be a surprise."

On Christmas morning, Anne woke up early.

She looked out of the window and felt very happy.
The trees were white with snow.

She ran downstairs into the kitchen and

Matthew gave her the dress. Anne started to cry.

"What's wrong?" said Matthew. "Don't you like

it?"

"Oh yes, Matthew," answered Anne. "I love

the dress. It's beautiful. Thank you! I'm crying
because I'm very happy."

That night, Anne wore her new dress to the

concert. She said her two poems very well. Matthew
and Marilla were at the concert, too. Later, they sat
by the kitchen fire and talked.

"Anne did very well tonight," said Matthew.

48
 "Yes," said Marilla. "She's very smart. And she
looked very nice in her new dress."

"She's thirteen now," said Matthew. "One day

she'll leave the Avonlea school. We have to think
about her future."

Chapter nine

Some Stupid Mistakes

One spring afternoon. Marilla walked home.

The country was very beautiful and Marilla felt
happy.

"Anne's at home," she thought. "She'll make a

good fire, and she'll have tea on the table."

49
 But Anne wasn't at Green Gables. There was
no fire, and the tea wasn't ready.

"Where is that girl?" thought Marilla angrily. "Is

she playing with Diana again? She has to do
housework first."

Matthew came in from the farm and he and

Marilla had tea. But Anne didn't come. When it was
dark, Marilla went upstairs to Anne's room. Anne
was on her bed.

"What's wrong, Anne?" said Marilla in

surprise. "Are you sick?"

"No, Marilla," said Anne unhappily. "Look at

my hair!"

Marilla looked at Anne's hair. It was green!

"Anne Shirley!" she said. "What did you do to it?"

"I. dyed it," said Anne. "I hated my red hair.

Today a man came to Green Gables. He wanted to

50
sell us things. I saw a bottle of black hair dye in his
box, so I bought it. But it made my hair green!"

"Go and wash it," said Marilla.

Anne washed her hair. But the green color

didn't go away.

"Oh, Marilla," she said. "What shall I do? The

other girls will laugh at me. I can't go to school."

Anne stayed home for a week. She washed

her hair every day, but the green color stayed in her
hair.

"We'll have to cut it," Marilla said, and she cut

Anne's hair short.

"I'll never hate my red hair again!" Anne said.

She went back to school. When her friends

saw her short hair, they were very surprised. But
Anne didn't tell them about the dye. After some
51
weeks, Anne's hair looked prettier than before, and
it wasn't as red.

***

One day in the summer, Anne and her friends

were by the river near Diana's house. There was an
old boat there.

"Let's play a game," said Anne. "Do you

remember that poem from school about a girl,
Elaine? She was unhappy in love. She found a boat
on the river and got into it. Then she died. The river
carried the boat to a town. Everybody came and
saw her.

"I'll be Elaine. I'll get into this old boat and the
river will carry it down to the bridge. Go and wait for
me there."

Anne climbed into the bottom of the boat. The

girls put flowers into her hands and Anne closed her
eyes.

52
 "Oh," said the girls. "Anne really looks dead."

They pushed the boat out into the center of

the river, and ran to the bridge. The river was very
fast and dangerous. The boat was old and not very
strong. Suddenly, a lot of water came into the boat.
Anne sat up. She was very afraid.

The boat went past a large tree and Anne

caught the tree with her hands. The river carried the
boat away. Then the boat went down-down to the
bottom of the river.

Diana and the other girls waited at the bridge.

They saw the boat in the river, but they didn't see
Anne. "Anne's in the river!" they cried. "Let's go for
help!" They ran quickly to Diana's house.

Anne was very cold and wet. She had her

arms around the tree, but she couldn't move. Her
arms hurt and she felt very tired. "Help! Help!" she
cried. "Why doesn't somebody come?"

Suddenly, a small boat came down the river. A

boy was in it. It was Gilbert Blythe.
53
 "Anne Shirley, what are you doing here?" he
asked in surprise.

Anne told him, and Gilbert brought his boat

near the tree. He gave Anne his hand and pulled
her into his boat. But Anne didn't look at him.

"Thank you," she said coldly.

"Please let's be friends," said Gilbert. "I was

rude about your hair in school, and I'm sorry. But
your hair is very pretty now."

"No," said Anne. "I'll never be friends with

you!"

"All right," said Gilbert angrily. "I'll never ask

you again!"

54
 Chapter ten

The Queen's College Class

It was November. Marilla and Anne sat in the

kitchen at Green Gables. Manila's eyes were tired
and weak. They often hurt her. "I'll go to town
tomorrow and get new glasses," she thought.

Anne was in front of the fire with a book in her

hand. Marilla watched her. She loved Anne very
much. She often made pretty dresses for the child
now.

"Anne," she said. "Miss Stacy was here today.

She talked to me about your future. Would you like
to study at Queen's College in Charlottetown?
Would you like to be a teacher?"

"Oh yes, Marilla," said Anne, and her eyes

shone. "But isn't Queen's College very expensive?"

"Yes," said Marilla. "But Matthew and I will pay

for you."
55
 Six other students from Avonlea wanted to go
to Queen's College, too. They studied after school in
one class-the Queen's College class.

Anne and Gilbert Blythe were the smartest

students in the class. Sometimes Anne was first,
and sometimes Gilbert. Gilbert was friendly with the
other girls in the class, but he never spoke to Anne.

When Anne thought about him, she felt sorry.

"I don't hate Gilbert now," she thought.

The Queen's College class was very

interesting and the days went quickly. Winter came
again, then spring, then summer. At the beginning
of the long summer vacation, Anne went home and
put her books away in a box.

"I'm not going to study in the vacation," she

said to Marilla. "I want to enjoy this summer. There
are going to be parties and concerts. And Mr. Barry
is going to take us to dinner one evening at the hotel
at White Sands."

56
 Mrs. Lynde came to tea with Marilla at Green
Gables. "Matthew doesn't look very well these
days," she said.

"No," said Marilla. "He had a problem with his

heart last week. He works hard, but he has to be
careful."

"When Anne came to Green Gables, I said

unkind things about her," said Mrs. Lynde. "But I
made a big mistake. She helps you, and she's very
pretty now too."

Anne enjoyed her summer very much. In the

fall, she went back to school. The Queen's College
class started again and Anne worked hard all year.
But she went to parties and concerts, too.

When Marilla looked at Anne, she felt a little

sad. "She's fifteen now," she thought. "She's almost
a woman!"

***

57
 By June, Anne and the other students were
ready for the Queen's College examinations. They
went to Charlottetown and stayed there for a week.
When Anne came home, Diana was at Green
Gables. "How were the examinations, Anne?" she
asked.

"They were very difficult," said Anne. "I'm very

tired now!" One evening three weeks later, Anne sat
by the window in Green Gables. The summer
evening was very beautiful. The sky in the west was
slowly turning red.

Suddenly, Diana arrived with a newspaper in

her hand. "Anne!" she cried excitedly. "Your name's
in the newspaper! You came first in the Queen's
College examinations-you and Gilbert Blythe. You're
the best students on the island!"

Anne looked at the newspaper. There were

two hundred names there. Her name was at the top-
hers and Gilbert's!

"This is wonderful, Diana!" she said happily.

58
 She ran to Marilla and Matthew. Then she
went to see Mrs. Lynde and Mrs. Allan. "You did
very well, Anne," they said.

Chapter eleven

A New Start

Anne went to Queen's College and enjoyed

her time there. She was in the same class as Gilbert
Blythe, but they didn't speak.

At the end of the year, there were more

examinations. Anne did very well. She won a free
place at another college, Redmond College. Gilbert
Blythe got a place at the college, too.

Anne went back to Green Gables in June.

Diana came to see her.

59
 "I have three months' wonderful vacation at
Green Gables," said Anne. "Then I'm going to
Redmond College."

"Gilbert Blythe isn't going," Diana told her. "His

father doesn't have the money. So Gilbert is going
to teach in the Avonlea school."

"Oh," said Anne. Suddenly, she felt sad.

The next morning at breakfast, Anne watched

Matthew's face. It was very tired and gray.

"Is Matthew all right?" she asked Marilla later.

"No," said Marilla. "He's having problems with

his heart again. He works hard, and his heart isn't
strong."

Some days later, Matthew came into the

kitchen and fell to the ground. Anne and Marilla ran
to him. But Matthew was dead.

60
 Anne was very sad. Later, in her room, she
cried and cried.

"Matthew was my first friend," she thought.

"He brought me to Green Gables. He was always
very kind to me. I loved him."

Anne woke in the night and Marilla came to

her. "Don't cry," she said. "Matthew was a good
brother and a wonderful man. But you have me and
I have you, Anne. I love you very much."

***

Marilla sat at the kitchen table. She looked

very tired and sad.

Anne put her arms around her. "What's wrong,

Marilla?" she asked.

"My eyes are hurting again," answered Marilla.

"I can't see very well and I can't work. And, Anne,
there's something worse. I have to sell Green
Gables. Matthew and I had our money in, the Abbey
61
Bank. But the bank had problems and now there's
no money." She started to cry.

"Don't cry, Marilla!" cried Anne. "You don't

have to sell Green Gables. You and Matthew did
everything for me. Now I'm going to help you. I'm
not going to go to Redmond College. I'll teach at a
school on Prince Edward Island, and I'll help you
with Green Gables. We'll be very happy-you and I."

Mrs. Lynde visited Green Gables. "You're

doing a very good thing for Marilla," she said to
Anne. "She's very happy. And you can teach at the
Avonlea school."

"I can't," said Anne. "Gilbert Blythe is going to

teach here. I'll live at Green Gables, but I have to
find another school."

"No," said Mrs. Lynde. "Gilbert heard about

Manila's problems. He knows you want to be near
Manila. So he's going to go to the White Sands
school. The Avonlea school is yours."

62
 "That's very nice of Gilbert," thought Anne in
surprise.

Two days later, Anne met Gilbert on the road.

She stopped and put out her hand. "Gilbert," she
said, "thank you very much for the job at the
Avonlea school. I'm sorry about everything. Please
let's be friends now."

"Yes," said Gilbert, and took Anne's hand. "I'd

like that."

Gilbert walked home with Anne. They stood

outside Green Gables and talked for half an hour.

Later, Anne sat by her window and looked out.

It was a beautiful night. "I know I'm going to be very
happy," she thought. "I have a good job and dear
friends. Everything is going to be all right."

- THE END -

63